VOA慢速英语2019--亚马逊在运输业的扩张

Amazon Expands in the Transportation Industry

Technology company Amazon is expanding its investments in transportation, a move that could bring it in competition with some of its business partners.

Companies that could be affected¹ include United Parcel Service and Uber Technologies. Amazon’s new investments and alliances in the automotive supply chain are part of the reason. For example, Amazon could both send products to customers and provide services to car drivers.

Businesses such as Amazon Web Services and Fulfillment by Amazon started as efforts to cut costs and improve customer service. They later expanded to corporate⁴ customers. However, some experts say companies working closely with Amazon risk losing business to the online seller as its transportation-related business grows.

Amazon founder⁵ and chief executive officer Jeff Bezos has said little publicly about the company’s goals in transportation-related industries. But the company appears to be using its strengths in logistics, cloud computing⁶ and digital services to go into other fields. Reuters news agency spoke⁷ with more than 20 people who have knowledge of Amazon’s plans. They said the company wants to use its strengths to get into areas such as robotics and manufacturing.

John Ellis is a transportation business advisor⁸ formerly⁹ with Ford¹⁰ Motor Company. He said some corporate customers of Amazon “should be very scared” of the company’s move to provide services linked to cars. He thinks car buyers will be more interested in digital services used in cars and will not care whether they are “in a Ford or a Chrysler or a Chevrolet or a BMW.”

Amazon also has sought to get legal rights to sales, or patents, for technology related to cars and transportation.

Reuters studied more than 5,000 patents received by Amazon from December 2016 to May 2019 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark¹¹ Office. The news service found that at least 210 of Amazon’s patents are for transportation-related technologies such as drones and driverless ground vehicles.

Amazon’s push to own transportation-related patents has been much larger than efforts by competitors Apple and Google, Reuters reports.

Amazon is also quickly expanding its business with car manufacturers. The company is working on two projects using its cloud-computing abilities with carmakers Ford and Volkswagen.

Gavin Sherry is chief executive officer of Autonomic, a subsidiary of Ford that provides digital services. He said Ford can learn a lot from Amazon, which is working with Autonomic and Ford to build a cloud-based system.

“They have the relationships, credibility and know-how¹² that we will need in order to fulfill³ our vision,” he told Reuters.

Alexa, Amazon’s digital assistant service, is part of the company’s push to get inside cars. Amazon is working with a number of automakers to put Alexa into vehicles. The company has made deals with General Motors, Ford, Volvo and Honda to permit drivers to order products from their cars.

Ned Curic used to work for Toyota but came to Amazon to oversee¹³ Alexa Auto² in 2017. He said the company wants Alexa in “as many vehicles as possible, either through direct integrations with automakers or through automotive accessories with Alexa built in.”

Amazon has placed a lot of effort in another area too: cutting the cost of transporting packages. It has mainly done this through the company’s Prime and Prime Air services.

Electric vehicles are another part of Amazon’s plans. Stephan Keese is with the international business advisor Roland Berger. He said Amazon is supplying home electrical charging systems for the e-tron electric sports utility vehicle by carmaker Audi. Kleese said the move could be a step toward doing more with vehicles.

I’m John Russell.

And I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

supply chain – n. the network of organizations and activities that lead to a product’s assembly and delivery to consumers

founder – n. a person who creates or establishes something that is meant to last for a long time (such as a business or school) : a person who founds something

customer – n. someone who buys goods or services from a business

cloud computing – n. the practice of using servers to store and process data

logistics – n. the things that must be done to plan and organize a complicated activity or event that involves many people

drone – n. a pilotless aircraft

vision – n. a clear idea about what should happen or be done in the future

subsidiary – n. a company that is owned or controlled by another company

integration¹⁴ – n. from the verb integrate - to combine (two or more things) to form or create something

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

3 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

4 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

9 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

10 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

11 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

12 know-how   

n.知识；技术；诀窍

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.他没有经营农场的专业知识。
• I don't have much know-how about engines.发动机方面的技术知识我知之甚少。

13 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

14 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。